ISLAMABAD (AA) – Mamnoon Hussain took the oath of office as the 12th president of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan on Monday, one day after predecessor Asif Ali Zardari made history by becoming Pakistan's first president to leave office after completing his term.
"I will exercise all my powers within the parameters of the constitution," said Hussain, wearing the traditional black Sherwani (long tight shirt), white Shalwar (loose trousers) and Jinnah cap.
"Every action of mine will be aimed at strengthening democracy," he added.
Hussain, however, who holds a master's degree in business administration, enjoys little real power thanks to the 18th amendment of the constitution, made in 2010.
Before 2010, although the premier had served as chief executive, major powers – like the appointment of judges, the attorney-general, provincial governors and military chiefs – had been in the hands of the president.
He also had the power to dismiss the elected government.
However, under the 2010 amendment, all respective powers were transferred back to the prime minister and parliament.
Iftikhar Chaudhry, chief Supreme Court justice, administered the oath to the new president, with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and outgoing President Zardari sitting next to the newly-elected head of state.
Hussain, a close confidant of Sharif, was elected president with a thumping majority in parliament on August 6, defeating Wajihuddin Ahmed, a former Supreme Court judge and candidate for Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) of cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan.
He hails from an upper middle-class merchant family from Burns Road, a famous food street in the southern port city of Karachi.
Hussain has resigned from the ruling party, which is not a constitutional requirement but which is a tradition most elected presidents have followed to show their neutrality while monitoring government performance.
Zardari, who did not quit his post as co-chairman of the Pakistan Peoples' Party while in office, is the only democratically-elected president to have completed his term in Pakistan's checkered 66-year political history. The remaining ten presidents – drawn from the military or democratically-elected – all had to depart in an un-ceremonial manner.
- Sharif in control-
Political analysts say that following Hussain's arrival to the presidential house, Sharif is set to have smooth sailing with regard to running government affairs.
"Although Zardari, too, had enjoyed less power after the 2010 constitutional amendment, his position as party co-chairman enabled him to control the elected prime minister and cabinet," Saadia Peerzada, Karachi-based political and constitutional expert, told AA.
After the 2010 amendment, the president is bound to approve parliamentary legislation and appointments made by the prime minister. He can still refer them back to parliament and the prime minister respectively for review if he deems it necessary.
However, if the parliament and prime minister still insist, the president has no choice but to rubberstamp them.
"Hussain will have a ceremonial role only," noted Peerzada. "He will have no other business except presiding over ceremonies, visiting educational institutions and meeting foreign ambassadors."
"He will not be posing any threat to the government compared to the past," Peerzada added, referring to the dismissal of successive elected governments by past presidents.
Sharif's two previous governments – 1990-1992 and 1997-1999 – were dismissed by former presidents Ghulam Ishaq Khan and General Pervez Musharraf in bloodless military coups.
Hussain had been serving as governor of the southern Sindh province when Musharraf toppled Sharif's government in October 1999.
He tendered his resignation soon after the military coup and joined the struggle for the release of Sharif, who had been implicated in a plane hijacking case by the Musharraf government.
"He had never been on the forefront of the struggle for the restoration of democracy," said Peerzada. "But his indefatigable association with the Sharif family, his humble nature, and lack of ambition have made him Sharif's first choice for the post."
She added: "He will remain in the shadow of Sharif. And that's what he [Sharif] wants."
